A song in the pale moonlight
by Kedi
Summary: Red had seen many a wondrous and fearsome thing in her long life as a cricket, but never had she seen anything quite as frighteningly beautiful as the enormous reddish brown wolf before her...


**A song in the pale moonlight**

-.:.-.:.-.:.-.:.-.:.-

**Author's note:** Indirectly inspired by Shahrezad1's "The Rabbit Hole", which got me thinking about swaps…

**Summary:** Red had seen many a wondrous and fearsome thing in her long life as a cricket, but never had she seen anything quite as frighteningly beautiful as the enormous reddish brown wolf before her...

-.:.-.:.-.:.-.:.-.:.-

Jiminy had been in a pensive mood for days, so when Red saw him quietly sneak out of the castle and make his way towards the woods she followed him, hoping that maybe a little friendly company would cheer him up. He didn't say anything when she fluttered down to land on his shoulder, but turned his head slightly and smiled – a small smile, but a genuine one - and though he didn't exactly invite her along he didn't ask her to go back either. They walked for hours more or less in silence, just enjoying each other's company, and when darkness fell they settled in a clearing deep in the woods, lying down side by side in the tall, soft grass, watching the stars come out on the patch of sky visible through the forest foliage.

The attack came out of nowhere. The Queen's dark knights flooded into the clearing without warning, wielding spears and swords, and from the shouted instructions it was clear that it was not a random attack: they had come to kill "Snow White's werewolf". Jiminy jumped to his feet and threw his cloak off in one surprisingly smooth motion, and before the deep-red cloth hit the ground the first knight was already dead. Red barely avoided a swipe of a sword and with a sense of both regret and urgency she retreated to hide amongst the leaves of one of the nearby trees. Though it was hard to sit helplessly by and watch her friend fight for his life she knew she would not be able to fight along with him. A cricket, magical though she was, struck fear into nobody's hearts. A magical wolf on the other hand... Red had seen many a wondrous and fearsome thing in her long life as a cricket, but never had she seen anything quite as frighteningly beautiful as the enormous reddish brown wolf before her. She had known that the unpretentious, soft-spoken friend of Snow's was a werewolf, but knowing and seeing were two different things - and she found herself captivated by the sight.

The wolf was terrifying in its relentlessness, but from her perch in the tree Red could see that it was not without mercy: each foe was killed with a single quick fatal bite, as if the wolf was consciously trying to shorten their suffering, before moving on to the next enemy and the next and the next... until there were none left.

As the last of the dark knights fell the wolf just stood there, bloodstained and panting, before gingerly moving over to where the crimson cloak had been discarded. The grace of movement she had observed during the attack was all but gone as he limped across the clearing, whimpering softly in pain with each step. Red flew down from her hiding spot and lifted the edge of the cloak so Jiminy could crawl under it.

The cloak hid the transformation from view and when Red landed in front him he was human again, looking pale and haunted in the cold light of the moon. Without a word he tried to rise, but his knees buckled and he fell back to the ground with a pained grunt. He didn't seem inclined to try a second time.

Jumping closer she couldn't keep the concern out of her voice. "Jiminy! Jiminy, are you all right?"

" 'm fine." His voice was so muffled that she had to lean in to hear him. "It's..." He let out a shaky exhale. "It's not too bad."

Red would have scowled at his stubbornness had she been able. Watching from her hiding place in the tree the fight had been a blur, but though she had not seen any of the weapons hit their mark Jiminy had obviously not escaped completely unscathed. Looking around her eyes fell on one of the discarded swords and she gasped; blood glinted macabrely in the light of the full moon, crimson staining the sword to the hilt. Was that Jiminy's blood? Surely the knights wouldn't have stabbed one of their own. That much blood... a wound of that magnitude... it hadn't even slowed him down! Red had never seen anything like it and was horrified and impressed in equal measure.

"Jiminy..." Her voice shook and she took a deep breath to steady it. "Jiminy, you need medical attention."

"No need," Jiminy insisted weakly, but he was still not making a move to rise. "Thanks to the wolf I heal quicker than ... than humans. I'll be fine, I... I just need a little time... to catch my breath."

Red felt conflicted. Her first instinct was to fly after help, but even flying as fast as she could it would take her hours to get back to the castle... and she hated the thought of leaving him alone and vulnerable should more of the Evil Queen's men come back. But what use would she be if more of the dark knights _did_ show up? What could she possibly do to protect him? Nothing. The bitter realisation made her feel more helpless than she could ever remember feeling before.

She twisted her hands in despair as she desperately tried to think of something - _anything_ - she could do to help him, but suddenly her gloomy musings were interrupted by a strained chuckle so unexpected she almost jumped.

"Red, I can... almost hear the cogs turning in... in your head. Your thoughts sure... are loud for such a small creature."

Though his voice was weak Red could hear the soft humour in it and some of the worry uncoiled in her chest. She let out an exaggerated scoff and hit him playfully on the head and was relieved to be rewarded with another breathless chuckle.

"I'll be fine, Red... I promise."

Red could tell he was being truthful, but she could also tell that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. Taking a deep bracing breath she made up her mind.

"Change back, Jiminy."

His breath hitched slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"I am somewhat familiar with wolf-lore, Jiminy," she said seriously. "I know that your injuries will heal faster if you're in wolf form. Please change back, there's no need for you to suffer needlessly."

He was quiet for a long time, and when he finally spoke his voice was broken and barely more than a whisper.

"But I do deserve it."

Red put a tiny green hand on his cheek and he finally opened his eyes to look at her. A lone tear fell and Red gently wiped it away. She wanted to tell him he wasn't a monster, but she knew he wouldn't believe her, lying bleeding and broken amongst the knights he had killed. She wanted to tell him he had acted in self-defence, but she knew that it was a poor consolation for a man who hurt with every life lost, even the lives of his enemies. She wanted to tell him she had never met a kinder man than him, and that she was honoured to call him a dear friend, and that she was proud of him for finding a way to use his curse for good. But now was not the time; he was hurt and tired and in no state of mind to listen, so instead she stroked his cheek gently and simply asked; "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Sing for me," he pleaded softly, closing his eyes against the tears.

"Sing?"

"Or tell me a story... something, anything. Just talk to me... Distract me..." He shuddered and Red wondered if it was due to pain or if he was getting cold. She absentmindedly tugged at the cloak, trying to tuck him in as well as she was able, hoping he wasn't going into shock from blood loss. "Please..."

The tone of his voice almost broke her heart; he felt he didn't deserve any consolation, but was too tired and in too much pain to even try to pretend he didn't need it.

"Change back, Jiminy," she softly commanded again. "If you're worried about my safety, don't be; a cricket is neither a threat nor a snack for a wolf. I'll be safe. You're in no state to move in human form, and you must move. There could be more dark knights out there, we cannot linger. Once we are safe you can rest, and I promise I'll sing to you."

After only a moment's indecision Jiminy awkwardly tugged the cloak off, clumsily bundled it up and pushed it away, and Red watched in awed fascination as her friend transformed before her eyes. Once the transformation was complete he opened his eyes again – bright yellow now, no longer pale blue, but still so expressive and soulful – and whimpered pathetically.

"Get up, Jiminy," she told him gently and took to the air. With gentle tugs at his fur and soft encouragements she managed to get him to rise, and though he swayed he stayed on his feet. Carefully taking the bundled up cloak in his mouth he obediently followed her as she led him out of the clearing.

Red could tell his strength was waning quickly, so she didn't even entertain the thought that they could make it to the castle grounds; instead she led him towards the river where she remembered a cave that would suit their purposes. She kept up a steady stream of encouragements and gentle instructions and even though he couldn't answer she could tell he was focusing on her voice - by the time they finally reached the secluded cave she suspected it was the only thing that kept him going. The small cave was well hidden and showed signs of not having been inhabited for many seasons, so Red directed Jiminy inside and gently told him to lie down. It took him a moment to process the command, but when it finally registered he dropped the cloak and all but collapsed on the ground.

Red landed by his head and started to gently stroke his reddish brown muzzle. If she could have smiled she would have as he looked at her with raw adoration and nudged her little hand with a grateful whimper.

"Rest, Jiminy," she whispered as she kept stroking his muzzle. "Rest and heal. I'll stay with you. Sleep, my friend, and don't worry."

Jiminy closed his eyes as Red started to sing.


End file.
